Voters target GOP senators backing gay marriage

Counting of absentee ballots continues

Two veteran New York Republican senators are waiting out a tense absentee ballot count to see if their landmark votes a year ago to legalize gay marriage cost them their political careers.

The count of thousands of absentee ballots will take days.

According to unofficial results compiled by The Associated Press, Sen. Stephen Saland of Poughkeepsie, who cast the deciding vote for gay marriage, is barely leading Neil DiCarlo. Sen. Roy McDonald is slightly ahead of Kathleen Marchione.

Political analyst Bruce Gyory says the veteran senators, however, may have an advantage in the absentee vote count. Their political organizations are far more experienced in winning the count of voters who mailed in ballots because they were out of town on primary day.